Despite their initial reservations to call for federal support, the Democrat-led city of Chicago was forced to ask for the administration’s aid as violence and looting continued to ravage the city.

Following Sunday’s riot, Lightfoot urged President Donald Trump to provide additional assistance to Chicago Police by deploying federal agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms bureau. However, Lightfoot laid out certain conditions, including the fact that their role is only limited to conducting license checks on federal gun dealers. She also warned that agents should not make any threats against the rioters.

Lightfoot also gave out strong words against those who had instigated and taken part in the violence. In a joint press conference with Chicago police superintendent, David Brown, the mayor said, “This is not legitimate 1st Amendment-protected speech. These were not poor people engaging in petty theft to feed themselves and their families.” She added that “This was straight up-felony, criminal conduct.”

Over the weekend, the city of Chicago was hit with a sudden surge of violence as a “caravan” of looters parked outside the city’s “Magnificent Mile.” During the incident, hundreds of individuals have broken into store windows as they ransacked several retail stores, including brands such as Apple, Tesla, Coach, and Louis Vuitton. According to police reports, the incident began shortly after midnight, as people carried bags upon bags of stolen merchandise along Michigan Avenue.

The incident had become so chaotic that one U-haul van had reportedly pulled up to take the stolen goods. In another report from CBS-Chicago, the media outlet cited that the incident was a “coordinated attack.”

According to reports from the Associated Press, the incident resulted after a rumor spread that a police officer had shot an innocent 15-year old child who was running an alleyway earlier that afternoon. However, police superintendent Brown denied such allegations. He explained that the police officer shot an “armed” man, with a long history of criminal activity, after he started firing at police officers. The man was immediately rushed to the hospital, while three other officers were under medical observation.

Brown also believed that the incident was a direct attack against the police officers. Over the weekend, Brown listed that 13 officers were injured, including an officer who suffered a broken nose. The city’s superintendent also claimed that nine law enforcement officers were shot in the past few days.

Lightfoot also denied claims that were made by other politicians such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who claimed that the looting was entirely fueled by poverty. Rather, the mayor believed that the incident was a “brazen and extensive criminal destruction.”

While Lightfoot continued to blame the city’s influx of gun ownership, Chicago anti-violence activist, Fr. Michael Pfleger, believed that the incident was a part of a coordinated attack that began on social media.